Midstream

Atlas Pipeline Partners LP (APL) on Monday agreed to pay $600 million for all of the operating assets of privately held Cardinal Midstream LLC, which would give it cryogenic processing plants, associated gathering pipelines and a gas treatment business that includes facilities in the Woodford, Eagle Ford, Haynesville and Fayetteville shales, as well as the Granite Wash and Avalon formations.

A subsidiary of EmKey Energy LLC has acquired the rights to a 75-mile right-of-way (ROW) through three counties in New York’s Southern Tier, in the heart of the state’s portions of the Marcellus and Utica shales.

Ryckman Creek Resources LLC, a unit of Peregrine Midstream Partners LLC, said it received bids for three and a half times the capacity offered during a recent open season for firm gas storage service at its high-deliverability, multi-cycle Ryckman Creek Gas Storage facility in Uinta County, WY. The offer of 8 Bcf of capacity available April 1 received market-priced bids from 23 companies, the company said. The facility began commercial operations last August (see Daily GPI, Aug. 22). “We will now begin working with the top bidders to finalize new firm service agreements that will commence next spring with our initial firm service agreements that we entered into after our first open season two years ago,” said Peregrine COO Jeff Foutch.

MarkWest Energy Partners said Wednesday it plans to add 200 MMcf/d of natural gas processing infrastructure this month at its Mobley complex in Wetzel County, WV, to support rich-gas production in the Marcellus Shale by EQT Corp., Magnum Hunter Resources Corp. and others.

DCP Midstream’s Sand Hills Pipeline has initiated natural gas liquids transport service from the Eagle Ford Shale. DCP is opening Sand Hills in phases, with this first segment in South Texas online. By the end of 2012, DCP will have completed Sand Hills to connect directly into Mont Belvieu, TX. “When finished, Sand Hills Pipeline will be a major link between the liquids-rich Eagle Ford and Permian producing regions and growing Gulf Coast markets,” said DCP CEO Tom O’Connor. Construction activities continue on the second phase of Sand Hills for Permian Basin service. This phase is expected to enter service by the second quarter of 2013. Sand Hills will consist of 720 miles of 20-inch diameter pipeline with an initial capacity of more than 200,000 b/d, which can grow to 350,000 b/d with the installation of additional pump stations (see Shale Daily, Aug. 19, 2011).

Ryckman Creek Resources LLC, a unit of Peregrine Midstream Partners LLC, is holding a nonbinding open season through Nov. 2 for up to 8 Bcf of firm, high-deliverability, multi-cycle gas storage capacity available April 1 at the company’s new facility in Uinta County, WY, near the Opal Hub (see Daily GPI, Aug. 22). Ryckman Creek has interconnections with five interstate pipelines, all of which are connected to the Opal Hub. Combined meter capacity is in excess of 1 Bcf/d. For information, visit www.peregrinempllc.com or contact Jeff Foutch, jhfoutch@peregrinempllc.com, (713) 974-5606; Don Wash, dwash@peregrinempllc.com, (713) 750-9939; or Chuck Sawyer, csawyer@peregrinempllc.com, (720) 359-1589.

Summit Midstream Partners LLC and Energy Transfer Partners LP unit La Grange Acquisition LP have agreed for Summit to acquire ETC Canyon Pipeline LLC for $207 million. Canyon gathers and processes gas in the Piceance and Uinta basins in Colorado and Utah. The gathering and processing system consists of more than 1,600 miles of pipeline, 44,000 hp of compression, processing assets with capacity of 97 MMcf/d, and two natural gas liquids injection stations. The deal is expected to close during the fourth quarter subject to regulatory approvals and conditions.

In Pennsylvania, the Luzerne County Zoning Hearing Board will announce a decision on whether to allow a proposal by a midstream subsidiary of UGI Corp. to move forward at its next meeting on Sept. 4. UGI Energy Services Inc. wants to construct 27.4 miles of pipeline across Wyoming and Luzerne counties (see Shale Daily, Aug. 7). The balance of the project, 23.4 miles, would be a 24-inch diameter pipeline starting at the current terminus of UGI’s Auburn Pipeline in Wyoming and running southeast into Luzerne, with a new interconnection with the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line (Transco) at West Wyoming Borough. The proposed compressor station would have three units with about 200,000 Dth/d of capacity. UGI also proposes to build four miles of 12-inch diameter pipeline, which would run south from the Transco interconnect and enter the city of Wilkes-Barre, where it would connect to the natural gas distribution system operated by UGI Utilities Inc., another subsidiary.

In a bid to succeed in a part of Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale where two other companies have failed, officials with a midstream subsidiary of UGI Corp. will attend Tuesday night’s public hearing before the Luzerne County Planning Commission to field questions about the company’s proposal to build a natural gas pipeline and compressor station.